The Body in the Wetlands

by Judi Lynn

Gaff looked up from his notes. “Tonya comes off as super jealous of Meghan.”

  Cornelius looked across the open fields and water of the wetlands. Ducks that Jazzi had never seen before floated on the nearest pond. Cornelius chose his words carefully. “Have you ever met one of those women who get along with every guy they meet but can’t get along with any other woman? That would be Tonya.”

  Jazzi got it. “She views every other woman as competition.”

  “That’s Tonya. If Mack introduced her to me, she’d be all friendly and nice.”

  “Was Mack with you your entire shift on Monday?” Gaff asked. “He didn’t take a break in the afternoon and disappear?”

  Cornelius shook his head. “It was him and me from seven to seven. We stopped and grabbed a pizza for lunch together.”

  Gaff rested his pen above the notepad. “Anything else you can tell us?”

  Cornelius shook his head.

  Gaff reached across the wooden picnic table to shake his hand. “Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.” He handed him one of his business cards. “If you think of anything else, give me a call.”

  Cornelius pushed to his feet. “I left Mack at a Subway shop. Better go get him. He has a lot of issues, but I don’t think he’s a killer.”

  They followed him to their vehicles and parted.

  On the drive back, Jazzi asked, “What do you think? Do you think Mack’s all bark, no bite?”

  “Anyone can be pushed too far,” Gaff said. “Say Mack and Meghan had a one-night stand. If Mack found out she was pregnant with his child, and she still didn’t want to get together with him, that might push him over the edge.”

  “Do you think Meghan would sleep with Mack?”

  “Stranger things have happened. Maybe it was early on, and Mack wouldn’t let it go, kept bugging her when she’d decided she didn’t like him.”

  “He’d have told us that happened. He’d have thought it put him in the right.”

  “Not if he’d settled on Tonya in the meantime. If she even got a hint of that, she’d make his life a misery.”

  Jazzi hadn’t thought of that. Detecting got too twisty and confusing. When Gaff turned north on Jefferson, he passed Seth’s bar, and out of habit, Jazzi turned to look at it. From this direction, she noticed Seth’s black SUV parked at the very outer edge of the lot. A blue sedan was parked next to it.

  A blue sedan? Was that where the bar’s employees parked? Who drove it? She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called Seth. “Hey, I just passed your bar and saw a blue car parked next to your SUV. Do you know who drives it?”

  “Sure. It’s Greg’s. You interested in it? He’s thinking of trading it in for a van in case he starts working private parties. He’ll need something with more space for carting supplies back and forth.”

  “No, I was just curious. Thanks. And don’t tell Greg I asked, will you?”

  “It’s our secret.” But she heard voices in the background. If Greg was close, he’d have heard Seth’s side of the conversation.

  When she hung up, Gaff asked, “What was that all about?” When she told him, he shook his head. “You never mentioned that you were with me. You should have. This way, it makes it sound as if you’re the only person who noticed Greg drives a vehicle that could belong to the murder suspect.”

  “But he knows I tell you anything I learn,” Jazzi protested.

  Gaff gave her a stern look. “We’re dealing with someone who’s murdered four people to cover his tracks. I don’t want to take any chances. From now on, you let me make the calls to get more information. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Her curiosity had gotten her in trouble. From now on, she’d let Gaff do all the dirty work.

  She was glad when Gaff dropped her back at Anthony and she walked in to see a kitchen that was coming together. Ansel and Jerod were putting up the backsplash, and the rainbow-colored, glass tiles were beautiful.

  “Nice, huh?” Jerod asked.

  “I love it.”

  Ansel stopped to run a hand over the marble counter tops. “This kitchen should sell the place.”

  His words proved to be an omen. Before they finished work for the day, a car pulled to the curb in front of the house and a man walked to the front door and knocked.

  Jerod went to welcome him.

  “I’ve seen work trucks here for a while now. Is someone finally going to do something with this house?”

  Jerod motioned him inside. “We’re renovating it so that we can flip it. We’ll be done soon.”

  The man seemed to like what he saw. A big archway opened the living room to the dining room and kitchen area. “How much do you want for it? I like this area, and this is one of the bigger houses available.”

  Jazzi and Ansel let Jerod haggle. He was better at it than they were. The three of them had already decided on what they thought would be a fair price. By the time she and Ansel finished the last trim and the kitchen was complete, Jerod had taken the man to tour the upstairs and returned. When the man left, the house was sold.

  The three of them stared at each other.

  “I could get used to this,” Jerod said. “I told the guy he could have the house at the end of next week, once his money cleared. He’s paying cash, has to get it together. His parents are helping him.”

  Ansel nodded. “We’ll have it done by then, but we don’t have the next house in mind yet.”

  “Let’s all look for something tonight,” Jerod said. “We’ve done enough for today. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

  They locked up together and left. Ansel put George on the back seat of his van, and the dog stretched out, happy. Things were back to the way they should be.

  The kittens attacked them when they got home, and George let them climb all over him. Jazzi reheated the cabbage rolls and potatoes. She knew Ansel liked the food, because he took seconds at supper.

  He leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs. “I never realized what good cooking was until I met you. My mom put a supper on the table every night, but it was nothing to brag about.”

  Cooking for Ansel made Jazzi happy. She loved it when he enjoyed her meals. “This is your first night home. I mean to make it memorable.”

  His blue eyes glittered. “What have you got in mind?”

  “I went shopping while you were gone.”

  He arched a blond brow. “I should mark that on our calendar. It’s a rare event.”

  “Let the dishes soak. Give me ten minutes, then come upstairs.”

  When she headed up the steps, Inky and Marmalade started after her. “Not this time,” she said.

  Ansel picked them up and locked them in the laundry room. They weren’t happy about it, but they’d learn the routine. George had.

  When Ansel finally climbed the steps, she was waiting for him in their bedroom, wearing her new Victoria’s Secret purchase. To say that he liked it was an understatement.

  The dishes never got rinsed, but Ansel came down much later to bring the pets up with them. Exhausted, they all cuddled and slept. No search had taken place to find a new house for a fixer-upper, but that could wait.

  Chapter 41

  When they walked into the house on Anthony, Jerod shook his head at them. “I’m guessing no research got done last night. You both look too happy.”

  Jazzi grinned, unrepentant. “Guilty as charged.”

  “It’s a good thing,” her cousin told her. “Because I found a place I’d like to try.”

  Ansel frowned. “This sounds like you’re giving us a sales job. What’s the rub?”

  “It has more issues than any place we’ve taken on before, but if we fix them, I think we’ll get a great return.” They’d gotten a great return for the house on Anthony, and the new owner had still bought it for a good price. The work had been easy. Jerod spread a sheet of ne
wspaper out for them to see. The house was listed under local auctions.

  “Really?” Jazzi stared at the picture. The roof had missing shingles. The front porch sagged. So did the back corner of the house. That meant the foundation had issues. It was in a nice neighborhood off Rudisill Avenue on the south side of town. It wasn’t that far from Seth’s house, but in an area that wasn’t nearly as expensive as his. All of the houses around it looked like they were in good shape.

  Ansel counted off problems on his fingers. “Foundation. Roof. Exterior. Front porch.”

  Jerod defended his decision. “It’s been on the market a long time. The owners kept lowering their price. They finally put it up for auction. I think we can get it for a low price.”

  Ansel and Jazzi exchanged glances. Finally, Ansel said, “If the price is right, why not?”

  It was a big, solid old house that had been neglected. If they could restore it to what it had been, they’d have done a good thing. The house deserved some TLC.

  They’d have to invest some serious money to fix it. “How high do you want to bid on it?”

  “I’d like to get it for close to sixty thousand, but I won’t go over seventy. It’s not just money we’d have to invest in the house. It’s going to take more time than usual, too. Our time’s worth something.”

  Ansel nodded. “I’m sold. We’ll give it a try.”

  Jazzi agreed, and Jerod grinned with pleasure.

  “The auction’s this Saturday,” he told them. “Want to come with me when I bid on it?”

  “Can we pass this time?” Ansel glanced out the front window at the small front yard. “We’re behind on everything. I’d like to work to get the yard and projects caught up.”

  Projects? Jazzi didn’t want to know. But she knew her Viking would be chomping at the bit to work on the yard.

  Jerod looked almost happy they weren’t going to make the auction. “I think I’ll take Franny with me, and she can bid on the antiques the couple owned.”

  Jerod loved spending time with his Franny. That put him higher up on the ladder rungs for Jazzi. She looked around the house, trying to decide what they still needed to do. “What now?”

  “Finishing details,” Jerod said. “Then when the guy has his money, we can give him his keys.”

  They got to work, and even if they took their time, they’d be finished when they left tomorrow night. A wondrous thing. That meant they could take Friday off. They took a longer lunch break than usual and still left before three-thirty.

  Thursday was an even shorter day, and when Ansel pulled out of the driveway, they wouldn’t be coming back. The house was done.

  Jazzi had more time to get ready for Sisters’ Night Out. When she left to meet Olivia later that night, she was wearing one of the new outfits she’d bought while Ansel was out of town, her hair cascaded past her shoulders, and her makeup was flawless.

  Ansel looked at her as they both walked to their vehicles. “You look hot. I feel like I should stay with you to beat men away. Want to make it a foursome tonight?”

  “Against the rules,” she told him. “But when I get home, you’ll get to help me out of these clothes.”

  He grinned. “A boyfriend’s bonus. Worth a short wait. Have fun, Jaz. Thane and I are going to the Tower Bar tonight. Their special’s prime rib. See you later.”

  Did all men love beef as much as Ansel and Thane? Wings ranked right up there, too. Come to think of it, they liked everything meat. She and Olivia were going to their beloved Henry’s. Jazzi had to laugh at herself, but going out with her sister and leaving Ansel to spend time with Thane restored her sense of balance. At the end of the day, when she went home, Ansel would be there for her.

  On the drive across town, she remembered she was supposed to let Reuben know when Ansel got back, so she gave him a quick call.

  “Thank the heavens! We were beginning to worry. Isabelle and I wanted Ansel here for our wedding. It’s coming up, you know. The twenty-ninth’s not that far away.”

  Jazzi realized with surprise that their wedding was closer than she’d thought. They’d been adamant they didn’t want any presents, other than their friends’ company. But Jazzi wanted to buy a special dress for the occasion. It would mean a lot to Reuben and especially Isabelle. They’d realize she went to more effort than usual for them.

  Olivia was waiting at the door when Jazzi pulled into her drive and ran out to jump in the pickup. “Your man’s home. I’m so happy for you! When you go home tonight, he’ll be waiting for you.”

  They gossiped nonstop all through supper. By the time Jazzi drove home, her mood soared, and it only got better when Ansel met her at the kitchen door.

  “We’ve both had a good night,” he told her, “but it’s only going to get better.”

  George huffed when Ansel left him at the base of the stairs and said, “Later.” The kittens knew the routine when Ansel locked them in the laundry room, but at the end of the night, they all settled in the bedroom and fell asleep.

  Chapter 42

  She and Ansel slept in on Friday. When they woke, Ansel shooed all the pets out of the room and closed the door for a little privacy. An hour later, they finally got up and moving. George looked relieved when they headed downstairs to the kitchen. The pug went straight to his food dish.

  Ansel chuckled. “George knows his priorities, but at least he’s eating like usual again. He hardly ate at the farm.”

  Jazzi rolled her eyes. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Really. He didn’t touch anything until I put his food dish in my old bedroom. He ate before we went downstairs in the morning and when I went upstairs to sleep. He didn’t like being around my family.”

  Jazzi stared at the pug. She didn’t realize his feelings were so sensitive. After all, he’d lived with Ansel’s last girlfriend, Emily, and she did things on purpose to annoy him because she knew it would bother Ansel.

  While Ansel fed his pug, Jazzi fed the kittens.

  “The pets get babied before we even drink our first cup of coffee.” Ansel didn’t really mind. He patted the top of George’s head before he put pumpernickel bread in the toaster.

  “What do you want to do today?” Jazzi couldn’t remember the last time they had had a free day, a day when they could do whatever they pleased.

  “I want to drive past the house Jerod found.”

  “Good. I do, too.” They had good intentions for an early start, but the kittens pestered them for attention during breakfast, and before they realized it, they’d lost a good chunk of time dragging strings across the kitchen floor.

  Oh, well, what were bonus days for if not enjoying some extras? The kittens had frolicked enough that once Jazzi gave them small portions of wet cat food, they climbed their luxury cat tree and curled up together to nap.

  Ansel stood next to her and stared down at them. “I never realized how cute kittens are. We didn’t pay much attention to them on the farm. I’d always squirt milk into their mouths when they came around when we were milking.”

  “But you have machines.”

  “When we lined the cows up to connect them to the machines, I’d shoot a few squirts first. Radley does that, too.”

  “Let me guess. Your dad and Bain don’t bother.”

  “Dad and Bain wouldn’t bother putting out dry cat food, either, but Radley and I do. We think it keeps the farm cats healthier.”

  She leaned into him and gave him a hug. “You’re a nice person.”

  “Bain says I’m a sucker.”

  “Bain should marry Jezebel. They’d be perfect for each other. They’re both selfish.”

  He chuckled. “Let’s go take a look at this house. Then maybe we’ll drive downtown and eat lunch at Coney Island.”

  Now he was speaking her language. She’d only eaten one piece of toast, and she’d be hungry again soon. C
oney dogs were close to gourmet for her. They loaded into his work van, with George on the back seat, and drove south.

  When they pulled to the curb in front of the house, Jazzi was glad they’d voted yes before they saw it. The porch looked like it would crash down if someone kicked one of its columns. It was empty, so they went to peek in a window, and the steps creaked when they climbed them. They’d have to replace them. They could see through the living room into a small kitchen with worn linoleum—a hideous pattern that must have dated back to prehistoric days.

  “A gut job,” Ansel said.

  “Worse. The inside and outside need to be redone.” Jazzi glanced at the sagging fence that surrounded the backyard. “Everything needs to be repaired.”

  They walked back to the van and turned to study the house from the street.

  “It’s big,” Ansel said. “Three stories.”

  Jazzi’s mind went to the novel Little Women. “Maybe there’s a writing garret in an oversized attic.”

  His brows rose in surprise. “Is that something you’ve always wanted?”

  “No, but I’ve always thought an artist’s garret sounded romantic.”

  He laughed. “If you say so. It sounds cold and drafty to me.”

  They tramped around a little more, then decided to drive to Main Street to grab their hot dogs. Ansel ran in to buy a half dozen of them—two for Jazzi, three for him, plus a plain one for George—then they drove to Headwaters Park to eat them. That way, George could join them. They were enjoying the nice day when someone came to stand by their bench. Jazzi looked up and flinched at the look on Tonya’s face.

  “See!” Tonya shifted the bag of Coney dogs in her hand to point to Ansel. “Girls like you can have any man you want, and then you look down at someone like me who has to work hard to attract Mack.”

  If Jazzi had a violin, she’d play a sad tune for Tonya. A victim. Misunderstood. The girl needed to get over herself.

  Ansel, however, stood, his stance intimidating. “Don’t talk to her like that. You don’t know a thing about her.”

  “Pretty girls always get the guys, whether they’re nice or not.”